I was supposed to visit the museum in last week,but I couldn't go.I was there yesterday but didn't have enough time to spend there.Well,I might go there on 21 Jan,so if you need any help from me,just drop a PM

Aditya

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It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. -J. K. Rowling.

Today the museum has a representative collection of over 10,000 exhibits of Indian coinage,paper currency,financial instruments and monetary curiosities.Over 1,500 exhibits on display provide a ringside view of the birth of currencies,their growth and the emergence of modern day money.

So,it's possible that they have the dies of coin you are looking for...

Aditya

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It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. -J. K. Rowling.

Whatever you do don't touch the glass! there are attendants at each doorway whose sole purpose is to hover and tell you not to touch the glass in a staggering number of languages if you lean over the display cases, they are happy for you to take flash photography, just don't touch the glass.

Ministry cites personnel shortage for closed museums, sites

More than 40 museums and archaeological sites around the country will remain closed in the coming period due to a personnel shortage and following the cancellation of a tender for nearly 2,600 contract employees, the culture ministry announced on Tuesday.

Most of the museums and sites are located in the provinces, although major attractions that will be affected include Athens' Byzantine and Christian Museum -- which will nevertheless re-open next week -- and an entire floor of central Athens' National Archaeological Museum, the country's most influential.

The Athens Numismatic Museum's (the Schliemann Mansion) second floor will be closed and the entire facility will be closed on Sunday.

A gold treasure of huge historical and numismatic value, discovered by chance in the 1960s, is on display at the National History Museum in Sofia.

The exhibition consists of gold coins, said to have been cut during Thracian times.

The treasure was first stumbled upon by chance in the village of Rezhantsi, near the western Bulgarian town of Pernik, by a tractor that was ploughing the farm land, the novinite.com news website reported recently.

At the time, it consisted of 6,000 golden coins, weighing more that 80 kilograms. A part of the coins, however, was smuggled to Western Europe and the US by treasure hunters. Another part, due to the recklessness of the museum authorities and experts at the time, was melted and used in the jewellery industry in Sofia.

When the tractor ran into the pot where the coins were placed, it broke and villagers still remember people stuffing their pockets with gold, the Museum Deputy Director said during the official opening of the exhibit.

Before it was displayed in Hall 3 of the History Museum, the artefacts were transported from Pernik in an armoured truck and with police escort, according to the media.

How did you enjoy seeing the expensive new galleries at the Ashmolean Museum? I hope to get there and see it in the spring time.

To me, the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford still looked like a mad scientist's attic, which is fortunate for me, because that sort of museum I like best. There is a "money" room, but coins are everywhere and it pays to look them up and take in the surrounding artifacts. The collection shown is at times fantastic, at times plebeian, never boring. There is no overarching "theme" in sight, but plenty of lateral thinking, sometimes obvious The fashionable "interactive" computer toys are kept to an agreeable minimum. There are still mistakes in sight (Jaffa, instead of Jafna, the myth of Frances Stewart repeated etc.), but the staff is extremely pleasant, helpful and present. Their worst problem is the fingerprints on the glass cases, which they are constantly combatting. Coffee is standard English dishwater

Side note: Oxford's "park and ride" system (combined with pedestrian streets in the centre) works very well, with constant, cheap bus transportation to the centre from two parking areas. Alas, the system is a victim of its success. The parking areas fill up quickly in the morning and are full for the remainder of the day. Either arrive early or prepare to wait in your car until someone leaves. Alternatively, arrive by public transportation.

Visit highly recommended.

Peter

« Last Edit: March 09, 2010, 07:42:30 PM by Figleaf »

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An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

Your comments are extremely interesting and give a good idea of what to expect. There is, in fact, a very good collection of Indian coins there, but like everywhere else, most of it is not on show. I try not to drink the coffe in English cafes and most restaurants, or the tea in Holland! In that we would agree, I think. The Park and ride systems have belatedly come to the rescue of a few English cities - Cambridge has one, too. Without it the place would have ground to a halt long ago. Being used to the accessibility of Dutch cities, you must despair of some of the dreadful conditions visitors to a lot of our cities have to put up with! Many of the P&R parking spaces are used by workers and most of the rest by shoppers. As you say, there aren't enough. Fighting your way through the streets to the centre and not finding a parking space is much worse, of course. Even worse if you DO find one, only to realise how much it is going to cost you.

I think the ONS meetings, previously held in the BM are due to be moved to the more spacious surroundimngs of the Ashmolean soon, and since they are held at weekends, you may get a pleasant surprise if you attend one. I used to enjoy those at Leiden but have not been to the new venue at Utrecht (I've been to the Geldmuseum but not for a meeting).

Thanks for your time in writing a useful note for those of us planning a visit to the city of 'dreaming spires'.

Salvete

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Ultimately, our coins are only comprehensible against the background of their historical context.

CHENNAI: The concept of common coins was very much in currency in ancient India, according to historians. Coins that belong to the fourth century BC, appear in different shapes — circular, rectangular, square, oblong or irregular.

Their contours differ in thickness as well. While some are thicker and smaller, others are thinner and larger.While most of the coins are in gold, copper and silver, the Government Museum, Chennai is in possession of punch marked coins made of silver and copper obtained from treasure troves, Dr TS Sridhar, commissioner of museums, said.

Various literary sources speak about a number of independent janapadas of post-Mahabharata period. They acted as sovereign states till the end of sixth century BC with the rise of Magadha kingdom. This historical event was reflected in the coinage also. Punchmarked coins, initially confined to the Magadha kingdom, were found in other parts of India.

After the decline of the Mauryas, the practice of minting punch-marked coins came to an end. With that the use of common currency came to an end, in ancient India, historians said.

Except for one coin, all the 372 silver punch-marked coins from Vaigainallur village in Kulithalai taluk of Karur district village weigh more or less 3 gm (32 kundrimani). The lone coin weighs 1.29 gm. Hence all the 372 coins have been identified as karshapana and the remaining one as ˝ karshapana.

The coins beside the Mauryan symbols have secondary symbols, which are divided into religious symbols and further classified into general and those related to Buddhism. The other symbols are classified into secular (general army of kings, insignia of kings), architecture, Zodiac signs, Taurine symbols and animals.

Sridhar said the museum currently has more than 50,000 coins of various eras and dynasties, including the British era and the Independence movement.

“Since 1927, we have about 16 hoards of punch-marked coins. This is the bigger one. We are also calling for a comparative study of the earlier hoard of coins,” he said.

I saw the exhibition and was VERY impressed. The collection of the Geldmuseum is finger-lickin'. If they come out with what they consider their 100 best pieces, it's a spectacle.

Yesterday I was in Utrecht and visited the museum. And I agree, that presentation is a great one. Very interesting coins, and a good way of showing them (and other money related objects, as you mentioned).

I am not quite sure whether "Eyecatchers" is a temporary or permanent show; probably something in between. There is no deadline, as in "on display until 31 March" or so, but since the museum has 400,000 objects that could be shown, it may be modified or replaced by a new exhibition at some point.

Some objects (such as bank note designs) you can view from above. Others, particularly the coins are in vitrines that allow you to see both sides. Very nice by the way: The description/info in on either side, so you can view an obverse and read the explanation, then walk around the vitrine, see the reverse and read the same text again. No reason for running back and forth ...

By the way, the objects shown there are also depicted in a nice catalog (A4 size) that you can buy at the museum store. The texts are a little shorter than the ones that accompany the exhibition, but quite a few photos are enlarged. Oh, and it has lots of women wearing nothing but makeup and coins. Nah, no full frontal nudity, but apparently the catalog makers know that coin collectors are primarily male.

Another interesting show (did not see the entire museum on that day) is "Poen, Para, Doekoe, Floes". The mint building is in a pretty multicultural quarter (Lombok), and the show has life-size photos of many of them, each one showing money from his or her native country. You will see an actual note or coin, and can read a short comment. Probably made with junior visitors in mind, but nicely done for not-so-young people too. By the way, they do a lot for and with kids; I was pleasantly surprised at how many families, ie. parents with children, were there.

The museum is usually (Tue-Fri) open from ten to five. On Sat/Sun it does not open until noon, but (for those who do not take public transport to get there) parking around the mint/museum is free, and actually available, on Sundays.

To me, the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford still looked like a mad scientist's attic, which is fortunate for me, because that sort of museum I like best.Side note: Oxford's "park and ride" system (combined with pedestrian streets in the centre) works very well, with constant, cheap bus transportation to the centre from two parking areas. Alas, the system is a victim of its success. The parking areas fill up quickly in the morning and are full for the remainder of the day. Either arrive early or prepare to wait in your car until someone leaves. Alternatively, arrive by public transportation.

Visit highly recommended.

Peter

Hello, Peter, I know you wrote this some time ago, and I apologise for late reply, but I only managed to get there a couple of weeks ago. May I take issue with your description of the way the coins are laid out? I had the advantage, before looking round, to get advice (also available in the 'bumf' available to the visiting public) about the layout and why and how the galleries were laid out in the way they were. Taking that into account, the layout seemed natural, and made sense from both a time and place point of view.

And the Coin Room itself can be accessed by anyone, with a prior appointment, and any part of the collection can be viewed, handled, photographed, and notes taken in a very light, airy study room (which may not prove to be big enough to hold everybody who wants to use it, once word gets around). To those interested in Indian coins, I recommend first approaching Dr Shailendra Bhandare, well-known to members of the ONS?)

And, yes, if arriving by car, please use the park 'n' ride facilities. It is an old, crowded city, with little parking available - and yes, as Figleaf says 'Come early to avoid disappointment.'

Salvete

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Ultimately, our coins are only comprehensible against the background of their historical context.

12 May 2010 | An exhibition, titled “Found underneath a tree root: Ancient Greek Coin Hoards,” opened in the Athens Numismatic Museum and will be on display through December 31.

The exhibition contains 21 ancient Greek coin hoards, dating to between the fifth and first centuries BC, made up of 3,644 electrum, gold, silver, silver-plated and bronze coins. Two hoards from Epidaurus and Thebes, on loan from the IV and IX Ephorates of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities respectively, consisting of 549 coins and 498 pieces of gold jewellery, are also included in the presentation.

In archaeology, a hoard is a collection of valuable artefacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground, usually with the intention of later recovery by the hoarder. However, since hoarders sometimes died, were displaced or forgot about their location before retrieving them, the hoards are often found much later by gold-diggers or archaeologists.

The exhibition in Athens, according to the ana.gr website, aspires to convey to the visitor the mythology surrounding the ancient treasures, with emphasis placed on the conditions of their discovery, the causes behind their concealment and information derived about their initial owners.

According to the publication, ancient hoards – buried inside walls, beneath floors, inside caves or in secret locations, are connected with historical events, offer information on the phenomenon of savings and attest to matters of coin circulation in Greece, focusing on savings at a time before banks and banking systems.

The Numismatic Museum of Athens, whose permanent collection boasts around 600,000 coins covering the ancient Greek world, the Roman and Byzantine periods, western Medieval times and modern times, is the only museum of its kind in the Balkans.

In addition to the coins, the museum’s collection also includes hoards – closed numismatic groups, weights, lead stamps, medals and precious stones, as well as thousands of volumes devoted to the field of numismatics, history, seals and archaeology and an extraordinarily rich archive of documents.

Housed in the Iliou Melathron (The Palace of Ilion), the home of Heinrich Schliemann, the Numismatic Museum’s building was created by German architect Ernst Ziller in the style of the Italian Renaissance adapted to the neoclassical spirit of the late nineteenth century. The building was inaugurated on January 10, 1881, and its inside walls are decorated with paintings on Pompeian themes and the finds of Schliemann at Troy and Mycenae.

A rare 18th century Mughal coin was stolen from the civic body-run museum at Paldi area in the city on June 4, an official said on Sunday.

“A gold coin belonging to Emperor Muhammad Shah Rangila has gone missing from the museum and we have registered a police complaint in this regard,” said the museum in-charge. He said the 10.5 gm gold coin was a rare item in the museum’s collection.

“In our museum, we have a good collection of rare gold and silver coins, paintings and other artifacts,” the civic official said. According to him, the civic body has now decided to install CCTV cameras so that the museum can be monitored properly.

Meanwhile, officers at the Ellis Bridge police station have recorded the statement of the museum staff and those in charge of security.

Source:

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An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

Visited the Dinesh Modi Numismatic Museum in Kalina campus of Mumbai University today It is basically divided into two parts,one for Indian coinage,and one for foreign.

The Indian section starts with oldest known coins of India(bent bars etc),and gradually it moves towards modern Indian coinage.I could see many familiar coins there,like Larins,punch marked coins(thanks to WoC!).It has a huge collection of princely states' coins,I think at-least one coin from each state has been shown there.It also exhibits some nice British,Portuguese and Danish India coins.Banknotes of British India as well as modern India are worth watching! Some scarce Republic India coins and banknotes (pieforts etc) are also there on display.

The foreign section is mainly flooded by pseudo issues Lots of NCLTs,bullion pieces...Not so attractive as Indian section!

The museum is open on weekdays (Monday-Saturday),10.00 am-5.00 pm(I guess).

Aditya

PS: I didn't see any security guards outside the museum

« Last Edit: August 08, 2010, 11:12:24 PM by Figleaf »

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It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. -J. K. Rowling.

I do not know any other museum in Mumbai which is devoted completely to coins.There's one Prince of Wales Museum of Western India in South Mumbai (one of the best in India) where they have a section for Indian coins.

A collector from Baroda has set up a museum of coins from his personal collection.I don't have any info about its address..May be asm can help us..

It was allowed to take photos inside the museum,but I didn't have a camera.I didn't carry it because of heavy rains (it was proved to be a wise decision!) I'll take some photos next time.

Aditya

« Last Edit: July 03, 2010, 07:25:53 PM by Numismatica »

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It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. -J. K. Rowling.